Immigration Requirements for Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles

In Bonaire there are two medical schools you can choose from, the first is the Xavier School of Medicine, which was established about few years ago. The Bonaire campus is actually the second campus from the already established school which is located in Aruba. The second medical school is Saint James School of Medicine, which was established about 9 years ago. They have a more developed second campus located in the British colony of Anguilla.

Medical school is hell where ever you go. In Bonaire, you may have difficulty with immigration; it’s on a case by case basis on when you can get the temporary resident permit. I will provide information based on what I have done. I will provide information based on someone from the United States.

The paperwork you need to take care of are the following:

1. Birth Certificate (Cannot be older than 6 months) – You need the certificate notarized and have it apostled. If you are a US citizen born outside of US then you need or you can someone else to go to the country of your birth, get your birth certificate notarized, then go to that country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and get it attested there, and finally go to the Royal Netherlands Embassy (Dutch Embassy) and have them legalize it for use with the government of the Netherlands Antilles. Make sure the certificate is not older than 6 months.

2. Single/Marriage Status (Cannot be older than 6 months) – You need a statement from your self saying you are single and date it. You can go to any bank and get a public notary to notarize it, and then have the document apostled. If you are married you need to provide proof that you are. If you not from the United States then you need to get that legalized with the Dutch Embassy of your country. The document cannot be older than 6 months.

3. Police Report (Cannot be older than 2 months) – Go to the nearest police department to your house and ask for a background search. You need to order one and a half months before you come to the island. The issue date cannot be older than two months. However, even if you ordered one two months before, make sure you order another one and bring it with you a week before you come.

4. The Doctor’s Note (Cannot be older than 2 months) – Get a check up with your family doctor and get your doctor to write a statement with his or her letterhead stating that you are fine with no diseases what so ever (that is if your clean).

5. Bank Statement – This requirement changes often, but to my knowledge the most recent update (last August), Bonaire immigration requires that you have a bank statement stating that you must have at least $7,000 in your bank account.

6. The Student Declaration – A single sheet form in Dutch, declaring that you are there to study and only study. Students are not allowed to work or conduct any businesses. By conducting any businesses, you jeopardize your chances to gain your temporary.

7. Temporary Residency Permit Packet – Fill out the Dutch version; that is the form you fill out to apply for your permit.

8. Giving Permission to Apply – Fill out the form for the school to give you permission to apply for a temporary resident permit for you. Remember, the school must sponsor you in order to get your residency permit.

9. Passport Photos – Get 4 passport size photos. This should be not challenging; just go to a photo center and get it done.

10. Passport Copies – Get two photocopies of your passport, I don’t know about other countries, but for citizens of the United States, you have to get it notarized; you can do that in any bank.

This should cover all the required documents the immigration requires but you should check with the Dutch embassy of your country if you need any extra documents. Also, check with the office of the school that you're going to attend.

NOTE: On the island don’t bother contacting the immigration because they will not deal with students. Each school has native Bonaire officers who work for them, and they are the ones who take care of the papers. Remember the people of Bonaire are very laid back and take their time so you have to be patient and polite regardless of how they treat you. The best thing to do is to contact the schools’ offices in the USA.

UPDATE: 1/19/2011
1. Xavier University School of Medicine are no longer on the Bonaire island.
2. Students are no longer required to deposit $571, but there is a fee in immigration.
3. The Netherlands Antilles has been dissolved and therefore Bonaire is now a direct part of Netherlands.